34th Week Update

Today, we had another appointment. It was an ultrasound to check the fetal growth of our baby. It was an exciting appointment. We had to be there at 8 am and needed to leave by 7 am to make sure we were there on time. When I woke up Mike, he said to me with a big yawn, "the baby is already making us get up early!"........too funny.

Anyway, I've attached some profile pictures of him and attaching a video of our son. We took a few more videos, but only loaded a short one. During the video, the technician is showing us where the baby is located in my stomach. So you'll see his spine, his head, etc.

The ultrasound went great. We found out that the baby is measuring/weighing at 5 lbs 3 oz. There is about a 12%-15% +/- variance in that weight, which means Baby Byrne's current weight could be more or less than that by about 12%-15% so not that much. He is between the 50th-75th percentile for his femur and abdomen, but his head is in the 75th-95th percentile. In other words, he's got a big head. If the baby stays around the 50th percentile and comes when he's due, then he will be around 8 lbs.

During the ultrasound, they checked to make sure the amniotic fluid is normal, which it is. They also checked to make sure Baby Byrne is getting enough blood and oxygen through the umbilical cord and he is.......so again, everything looks great and he seems to be a healthy little boy!! Oh and we did double check that our baby is a boy and he definitely is. We didn't want any surprises so we thought we'd ask again! The technician did show us where his back, head, feet, hands are all positioned. We figured where everything was but we love knowing for sure so when I feel a jab or we see a movement across my stomach then we can tell what body part it is.

I had my blood pressure checked and it was 106/62, which is good. We also heard Baby Byrne's heartbeat which was around 137 bpm......strong little heartbeat. Mike had a heart murmur when he was a baby and he asked if they can hear if our baby has one. My doctor said she does listen for it and didn't hear one in Baby Byrne.......more good news!

As for me, I gained some more weight which my doctor said is a lot of fluid. She also said that the fluid gain has a lot to do with why my hands and feet have been so swollen and achy. She said to cut back on sodium and that should help with the fluid intake. I've definitely have been more achy lately (everywhere) so the effects of the 3rd trimester are hitting me........only 6 more weeks! However, I'm still exercising at least 2-3 times a week - prenatal yoga and prenatal water aerobics.

My doctor also confirmed that our decision not to breastfeed is a wise one especially if the baby could be at risk so that was good to hear! We also told her that we've decided to donate the baby's cord blood. I've already requested a kit from LifeSource and just need to bring it to the hospital when we deliver......hopefully it will save another baby's life!

We are taking a few baby classes and have 2 of them this week. We're looking forward to them!

Our next appointment is scheduled for May 5th, which starts the weekly appointments. We move next Wednesday, April 29th so wish us luck. I keep telling Baby Byrne he needs to stay inside until June 2nd, although he's getting plenty big already. And my doctor is going to be on vacation as of May 29th through June 7th.......so I'd be ok if he came before she goes on vacation.

In any case, we'll keep all of you posted. As always, thanks for following our blog and for caring about our little Baby Byrne! I'll update the blog again after our next appointment if not before then.